A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Travelers- rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London- but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they'll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive- trickier than they hoped.

This book, well any V.E. Schwab book in general, has been on my TBR list. And I've got to say that I haven't read such a good book in a long time. I'm doing something different for this review, which is just basically stating all the things I liked and disliked about this book. I was inspired by Missie from A Flurry of Ponderings to start this new thing with my reviews.

A Darker Shade of Magic is not just an ordinary, light fantasy read. In fact, it's not even 'light' to be honest. It was more of a heavy and dark read, and if you know me I haven't read a good dark fantasy read in like forever. Now if you're a reader who hasn't read a V.E. Schwab book yet and you're still very hesitant, I hope I have the ability to change your mind!

Likes

- The magic system ~ Antari are travelers that can travel through the parallel Londons. I thought the term itself was very intriguing. There was also the concept of the stone and how it worked, almost like the Antari's powers but had a much greater hold on the user.

- Characters ~ Kell and Lila, my ultimate OTP as of now. One thing Victoria really excels at is making her characters relatable and vulnerable because trust me, both and Kell and Lila get tossed around in the book. She adds snarky and stubborn personalities that are both lovable and aggravating at times.

- Action Scenes ~ I can see why people call Victoria the Queen of Fantasy. Every time the characters would get into a fight or a battle of magic, I could literally feel their pain and winced when they were wounded. My eyeballs were glued to the book, like I was in a trance! She makes magic and spells not seem so cliche or the usual 'bibbity bobbity boo'. There were actually spells in another language (I think) or some voodoo language I'm not familiar with.

- World-building (setting) ~ As you know there are 4 Londons (universes) mentioned in the book. There is Grey London (a world in which magic is forgotten) , Red London (a wealthy world with magic), White London (a dying city with desperate monarchs and defiant magic) , and Black London (a world entirely closed off because of the magic corruption that happened there). All of the different parallel universes she creates has their own personalities, or as Kayla Rayne says (from Kayla Rayne on Youtube), as if they were their own person.- Writing ~ I think to say 'writing' is way too general of a word. What I mean is how she writes and her writing style. How Victoria likes to play with words and use such intricate vocabulary. She has this flow in her words that author can't seem to hack into their books and gahhh... It's just so fricking beautiful!

Dislikes

- Not a book for everyone ~ I definitely think EVERYONE will enjoy this book but if you're not into fast-paced books with fantasy aspects, this may not be your forte. And I know it's not up to me to tell you what to read, so I encourage you all to read this book!

My Final Verdict:

No matter what kind of reader you are, what size, shape, or genre you prefer, you should and you must pick up this book. Read more of V.E. Schwab's writing because I know 100% for sure I am!

My friend Kayla Rayne wanted to dedicated a tag to how much she loved this book! If you have a Youtube or a blog, go ahead and watch the video and see for yourself if you would like to do the tag. It's definitely something to look forward to and I know it would make her so happy :D

I just watched your March Haul >>> You totally hauled this book. AND NOW IT'S READ. It's like I'm in the future.

In any case, I need to read this. I <3 snark big-time. And man, ultimate OTP? That's some big praise right there.

I've read Victoria's Archived series & I'm already a huge a fan of her writing. I'm actually glad I haven't read this yet -- the anticipation is exciting, haha. Great review, Alex :) And you were super cute in your video!

I've been seeing this book everywhere and NOW I WANT TO READ IT :D I love these kinds of books, and if you say so that the writing is beautiful, then I'm definitely in it for that! <3 Thanks for the review. I'll be hunting this down if I see it in the book store :)

I really enjoyed this book, but I agree that it wasn't for everyone. I struggled a bit at the beginning because I couldn't figure out where the book was going. Once we had a plot, I was back loving the book!Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

I NEED this book in my life!! I hate to say that I've never read a Victoria Schwab book but - this book sounds so so amazing and I need it =P Awesome review! I'm going to have to pick this one up asap!

Also, I have to say that I love the new review system. It's so much simpler and straightforward. I always get lazy about writing reviews because I take forever to put my thoughts together in ways that aren't just flailing or fangirling. I might have to try this out style out sometime.

It's okay Jazzie. This was my first V.E. Schwab book like I'm pretty sure this one will be ur first one as well! I also fell in love with this review system because it was so easy to read and I talk too much :P

I absolutely love this book! The writing, the world-building, the characters, just EVERYTHING! I'm seriously hoping that in the second book we get a bit of a relationship from Kell and Lila because their scenes together were beyond entertaining! Girl I lived for the action scenes! Do you know how many times I screamed or yelled because I thought one of my favorites was going to die?! lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it just as much as I did :)

Kell and Lia, major OTP. I hate that they just kissed a few times and that what happened in the end (hidden for spoiler reasons). I wasn't nervous because I knew the ending already (spoiled :P) but I loved it and I'm glad u loved it too!

Alexandria

Yingchao "Ying"

Gabrielle "Gabby"

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FTC Disclaimer

Any books that are reviewed on this site are either gifted to me, won in a giveaway, or purchased. All reviews are honest, and are not swayed by anything. I will note if the books have been gifted or won. Most pictures or clip art have been taken off of Google or somewhere else if said otherwise. Said pictures are not mine, and I do not hold ownership over them unless stated otherwise.